Biological Macromolecule-Based Dressings for Combat Wounds: From Collagen to Growth Factors-A Review.

Wound care in military and combat environments poses distinct challenges that set it apart from conventional medical practice in civilian settings. The nature of injuries sustained on the battlefield-often complex, contaminated, and involving extensive tissue damage-combined with limited access to immediate medical intervention, significantly increases the risk of infection, delayed healing, and adverse outcomes. Traditional wound dressings frequently prove inadequate under such extreme conditions, as they have not been designed to address the specific physiological and logistical constraints present during armed conflicts.

Characterization of the bacterial ocular surface microbiota of European bison (Bison bonasus) and their association with infectious keratoconjunctivitis.

Numerous cases of infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) have been recently observed in European bison in Poland. The present study aimed to identify the ocular surface microbiota of European bison and determine if bacterial communities differed between animals with and without IKC. Ocular swabs were collected from the conjunctiva and cornea of 57 European bison with IKC and 30 healthy animals, from southern and northeastern Poland.

Respiratory and Cardiovascular Activity of LENART01, an Analgesic Dermorphin-Ranatensin Hybrid Peptide, in Anesthetized Rats.

Opioids are among the most effective drugs for treating moderate to severe pain. Unfortunately, opioid use, even short-term, can lead to addiction, tolerance, overdose, and respiratory depression. Therefore, efforts to design and develop novel compounds that would retain analgesic activity while reducing side effects continue unabated.

A Simultaneous Determination of the B and B Vitamers Reveals Their Loss During a Single Peritoneal Dialysis Session: Chromatographic and Chemometric Approach.

This study aimed to assess the extent of vitamin B and B vitamer loss during a single peritoneal dialysis (PD) session using a combination of chromatographic techniques and chemometric analysis. Dialysis effluent samples were collected from 41 PD patients (22 on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) and 19 on automated peritoneal dialysis (APD)) during a standardised peritoneal equilibration test. Concentrations of thiamine monophosphate, thiamine diphosphate (ThDP), pyridoxine, pyridoxal (PL), and pyridoxamine were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography with a fluorescence detector.

Microbiological Contamination of Medicinal Products -Is It a Significant Problem?

Medicinal products available on the market should be characterised by therapeutic efficacy, high quality, and safety for patients. They must either be sterile or comply with the appropriate pharmacopoeial microbiological purity requirements. Pharmacopoeial monographs related to microbiological tests of drug quality were also referenced.

Development of a Cyclodextrin-Based Drug Delivery System to Improve the Physicochemical Properties of Ceftobiprole as a Model Antibiotic.

This study presents a methodology for developing a cyclodextrin-based delivery system for ceftobiprole, a poorly water-soluble and amphoteric drug, chemically stable in acidic conditions. Ceftobiprole is a broad-spectrum cephalosporin antibiotic administered clinically as its water-soluble prodrug, ceftobiprole medocaril, due to limited aqueous solubility of the parent compound. Solubility enhancement was achieved through complexation with anionic sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD).

Characterization of a novel genus bacteriophage and its potential for efficient transfer of modified shuttle plasmids to strains of different clonal complexes.

Unlabelled: is a significant human pathogen responsible for various nosocomial and community-acquired infections, leading to considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide. Temperate bacteriophages contribute to its virulence and facilitate the dissemination of pathogenicity traits. We isolated a novel siphovirus of the genus, ASZ22RN, derived from a prophage of an clonal complex 7 strain and capable of propagating in the prophage-free laboratory strain RN4220.

Aromaticity of substituted 8-hydroxyquinolines in their free or bidentate states in tricarbonyl rhenium(i) complexes.

Some 8-hydroxyquinolines (8-HQs) and some of their metal complexes are bioactive. Thus, knowing whether the ligand properties are transferred to the complex is vital. Herein, the aromaticity of the pyridine and phenolic rings of substituted 8-HQs, free with and without intramolecular H-bond and chelated in Re(i) complexes, was studied using the geometrical HOMA and magnetic INICS indices.

Vitamin D-is the sun enough for us?

Vitamin D is the easiest available of the exogenous vitamins, just to go outside on a sunny day …. This, of course, is a simplification, but it raises some considerations, such as whether enjoying the beautiful weather during summer will provide us with adequate vitamin D during the dark winter, without the need for additional supplementation. Some sites in the organism provide the long-term supply of calcidiol to serum, such as the adipose tissue or muscles.

The Occurrence of Illicit Smart Drugs or Nootropics in Europe and Australia and Their Associated Dangers: Results from a Market Surveillance Study by 12 Official Medicines Control Laboratories.

In recent years, an increasing number of case reports have mentioned the presence of illicit nootropics, smart drugs or mind doping products on the market. To better understand the extent of the problem, a market surveillance study was organised by the General European Official Medicines Control Laboratory Network and associated member Australia to detect substandard, falsified or illegal medicines or dietary supplements containing unauthorised nootropic molecules of natural or synthetic origin. From January 2020 to September 2024, 159 different samples were documented, which yielded a comprehensive dataset of 166 molecular identification entries.

SARMs, Metabolic Modulators and Growth Hormone Secretagogues in Suspected Illegal Medicines, Bought as Sport Performance Enhancers: A Retro- and Prospective Study Within the GEON.

Although the abuse of muscle-building compounds in elite sports is already known for a long time, these products have become more popular in recreational sport over the past years. Although anabolic steroids are still the most popular ones in this context, the use of other molecules with anabolic properties is on the rise. Three categories of such products are the selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs), the metabolic modulators and the growth hormone secretagogues (GHS).

Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 38 emerges as one of the dominant serotypes causing invasive pneumococcal disease in Germany and Poland, but not in the Netherlands.

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of community-acquired pneumonia and invasive diseases. Vaccination prevents pneumococcal disease caused by vaccine serotypes but leads to an increase in disease caused by non-vaccine serotypes. We aimed to characterise serotype 38 isolates from invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) patients in Germany, Poland and the Netherlands to explain a recent surge in cases.

Exploring Nepicastat Activity: Beyond DβH.

Recently, an old drug, disulfiram, has been shown to reduce cocaine intake by inhibiting dopamine beta (β)-hydroxylase. Its effectiveness was also reported in opioid treatment, as disulfiram attenuated morphine-induced tolerance and dependence. A similar mechanism of action was evident in a selective inhibitor of DβH, nepicastat, particularly in the aspect of cocaine-seeking behavior.

Oxidation and Reduction of Hydrazones-Risk Factors Related to the Manufacture and Stability of the Drugs.

This study aimed to evaluate the use of electrochemistry to generate the oxidation and reduction products of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) with a hydrazone group, including dantrolene, nitrofurantoin, furazidine, and nitrofural. In the first step, cyclic voltammetry was employed to assess the electroactivity of these compounds. In the second step, the transformation products of selected APIs following electrochemical oxidation and reduction were analyzed using the ROXY EC System equipped with a µ-PrepCell™ 2.

NDM- or VIM-producing Citrobacter spp. in Poland, 2011-19: high genetic diversity with broader representation of ST8, ST18 and ST22 global clones.

This study focused on genomic epidemiology of metallo-β-lactamase (MBL)-producing Citrobacter spp. in Poland. It included 118 isolates with VIM (n = 100), NDM (n = 17) or IMP (n = 1) enzymes from 2011 to 19, largely C.

Illegal and falsified medicines self-administrated in not approved post-cycle therapy after the cessation of anabolic-androgenic steroids - qualitative analysis.

Background: The term post-cycle therapy (PCT) often appears in bodybuilding forums in the context of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) cessation. To reduce the negative impact of AAS on the hormonal system, unapproved PCT is used, which consist of medications that help restore hormonal balance. The most used medicinal products are selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), aromatase inhibitors (AIs), and preparations containing human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).

The direct impact of mandatory PCV10 vaccination on invasive pneumococcal disease in Polish children.

Background: The introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) into National Immunization Programs (NIP) has led to a significant decrease in pneumococcal infections. This study aimed to evaluate the direct impact of the introduction of PCV10 into the NIP in 2017 on the serotype distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility of pneumococci causing invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in Polish children.

Methods: The study encompassed all pneumococcal strains responsible for IPD in Polish children under five years of age submitted to the reference centre between July 2013 and June 2023.

The usefulness of infrared spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction in the analysis of falsified, illegal, and medicinal products.

One way to combat the black pharmaceutical market is to exchange experience and knowledge among the laboratories involved in this fight. A beneficial approach is compiling application examples that demonstrate the development and growing potential of the two analytical techniques that are undoubtedly useful in investigating pharmacologically active ingredients found in products dangerous to consumers health and life. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction are nondestructive techniques substantial for examining evidence seized by the police, demanding minimal preparation of the sample.

Exploring DNA-6MP interactions to develop a receptor with selective binding properties.

This study focuses on identifying DNA sequences capable of selectively binding 6-mercaptopurine (6MP) or its analog, azathioprine (Aza), as a potential bioreceptor for biosensing methods. The approach used in the study is based on instrumental analysis methods such as UV-Vis spectroscopy, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques to describe the interaction, its mode, and strength as well as selectivity of selected DNA sequences toward thiopurines. Thus, of the sequences tested, dsDNA GGCAGGACGGAG poses the ability to form complexes with 6MP, with an affinity constant of 2.

Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacterales from Patients Arriving from Ukraine in Poland, March 2022-February 2023.

Introduction: Despite a scarcity of data, before 2022 Ukraine was already considered a high-prevalence country for carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE), and the situation has dramatically worsened during the full-scale war with Russia. The aim of this study was to analyse CPEs isolated in Poland from victims of war in Ukraine.

Methods: The study included 65 CPE isolates from March 2022 till February 2023, recovered in 36 Polish medical centres from 57 patients arriving from Ukraine, differing largely by age and reason for hospitalisation.

The importance of microbiology reference laboratories and adequate funding for infectious disease surveillance.

Microbiology reference laboratories perform a crucial role within public health systems. This role was especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this Viewpoint, we emphasise the importance of microbiology reference laboratories and highlight the types of digital data and expertise they provide, which benefit national and international public health.

Multiple regional outbreaks caused by global and local VIM-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae clones in Poland, 2006-2019.

Purpose: This study was aimed at comprehensive genomic analysis of VIM-type carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae species complex (KpSC) in Poland.

Methods: All non-duplicate 214 VIM-producing KpSC isolates reported in Poland in 2006-2019 were short-read sequenced and re-identified by the average nucleotide identity scoring. Their clonality/phylogeny was assessed by cgMLST and SNP in comparison with genomes from international databases.

Global impact of ten-valent and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on invasive pneumococcal disease in all ages (the PSERENADE project): a global surveillance analysis.

Background: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) that are ten-valent (PCV10) and 13-valent (PCV13) became available in 2010. We evaluated their global impact on invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) incidence in all ages.

Methods: Serotype-specific IPD cases and population denominators were obtained directly from surveillance sites using PCV10 or PCV13 in their national immunisation programmes and with a primary series uptake of at least 50%.

Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of highly virulent cagA-positive Helicobacter pylori strains in Southern Poland.

Purpose: Assessment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) prevalence in Southern Poland, focusing on highly virulent cagA-positive strains associated with gastric cancer risk, along with analysis of antimicrobial resistance and its molecular mechanisms.

Methods: A total of 130 dyspeptic patients, who underwent endoscopy, were enrolled in the study.